Maslenitsa UK – It’s Happening!
I had started to wonder whether or not Maslenitsa was going to officially happen here in the UK this year. After checking and rechecking the suspiciously dormant UK events page, I can finally report that it is now bursting with interesting and varied attractions. A late-bloomer, no doubt, but decidedly worth waiting for.
It’s time for a quick recap. Maslenitsa is an ancient Pagan festivals. Like other pagan festivals, it is locked to the relentless annual cycle of the stars and planets – and thus refuses to disappear. When a society lived and died by the turn of the seasons, then certain points on the calendar gained critical importance – the time to plant crops, to harvest, or to prepare for the long assault of winter.
Maslenitsa effectively sounds the all-clear after Winter has relinquished its grip. It is a way of bidding goodbye to the snow and ice, whilst looking forward to the relatively prosperous and easier spring, ahead. As our societies have modernised and we live more insulated existences in comparison to our ancestors, then of course, the raw contrast between the winter and spring is softened, but the party remains!
Here in the UK, we are also several magnitudes of experience removed from the brutality of a Russian winter, where surviving beyond November is, by all accounts, something worth celebrating.
One of the great things about multiculturalism is the sharing of traditions from across other societies. Just witness the popularity of the Notting Hill Carnival, Diwali, or Chinese New Year amongst my fellow Brits, for example. Russians and members of other Slavic nations have contributed to the pantheon of delights on offer in the form of Maslentisa UK, beginning in London on Sunday 6th March 2016.
Apologies to the rest of the country, though it is worth enquiring with local Russian communities about their own Maslenitsa celebrations. Smaller, localised events in the provinces can be equally enjoyable (or even more so) than relatively impersonal, large-scale celebrations.
Maslenitsa is highly inclusive: “a game the whole family can play”, to coin a phrase. Sure enough; it starts with a children’s event and a Balalaika concert on Sunday, to be performed by the master, Bibs Ekkel. No, I am not going to pretend that I have heard of him, but I am sure that’s my loss.
Monday sees an exhibition dedicated both to Maslenitsa and to Navruz, the Uzbekistani celebration of life. Natalia Kaut presents her fashion showcase on Tuesday. By contrast there is also an “exhibition of Zhostovo painted trays, Bogorodsk carving and Fedoskino paintings”.
A ”Tolstoy – Maslenitsa Culinary Evening” and a concert by Boris Grebenshikov comprises Wednesday’s offering followed by a screening of Andrey Konchalovskiy’s film The Postman’s White Nights, at Pushkin House on Thursday.
Friday’s musical events feature both a concert by the Gamma Majoris Ensemble, incorporating prize-winning pianist Yulia Chaplina, as well as examples of Russian village music. There is also a literary talk by Dmitry Bykov on the creation of Tolstoy’s War and Peace.
Saturday plays host to more music, this time, Russian Lullaby with club “Izba” and Polina Proutskova. There is also a ‘Chekhov’ Maslenitsa Culinary Experience, which leads me to wonder, was the great man also a dab-hand in the kitchen? I’ve no idea. There is also a lecture in the form of the intriguingly titled “Amazons of the Russian Avant-Garde”.
The big Maslenitsa send-off is on Sunday 13th March. It’s another musical extravaganza in the form of a “concert with Dmitry Kogan, Ruslan Alehno, Ensemble Gzhel, Theatre Moroshka and winners of the Stars of the Albion-Maslenitisa Competition” – and then, we’re done.
The events page is (still) here and features plenty of links, specific to the various attractions on offer. There has to be something there for you, surely?
Not convinced? Well, perhaps Boris Johnson can twist your arm! Here’s his quote from the events page:
“London is jammed packed with cultures from across the globe and the week-long Maslenitsa festival is the perfect opportunity for Londoners to find out more about the rich cultural diversity of the Russian community in the capital. Best of luck to all involved for what looks set to be an inspired and exciting week.”